Musical instrument



March 9, 1937. J. HOFBAUER MUslcAL INSTRUMENT Filed July 25, 1955 F! G. 5 5=== me 4 INVENTOR Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE 3 Claims.

-The objectofmy invention is to provide keyed musical instruments for, producing both melody and Aharmony by utilizing keys and reeds, the reeds-being enclosed in a combination of box ..5 and bellows. The keys on this instrument are placed inftwo separate arrangements for keys, said yarrangements being commonly considered keyboards; one keyboard being for the melody, as in the treble clef for piano music; the other keyboard being for basses and accompaniments, as

in the bass clef for piano music.

, In the accompanying drawing, Figure l is a plan view of the new musical instrument, shown withoutbelts and hand.rests; Figure 2, the lower portion of the same instrument, (with one-fourth of the keys less) and a hand playing a chord and bass;,Figure- 3, twofjfCcho-rds in the treble clef, one within the limits of a sixth, the other extended four steps beyond an octave; Figure 4, the

C major chord and bass C as played by the hand in Figure 2; Figure 5, an example of a sustained bass effect; a bass note sounding, while changing harmonies are played at the same time by the one hand; Figure 6, the fths as employed on the violin; Figure '7, the same fths, as in Figure 6, as employed in accompaniment section Y and bass section Z, of the new instrument shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2; Figure 8, the basses C and G, and the accompaniment keys a and e in the top row, and the keys b dat,

c, g and a in the lower row.

This new musical instrument resembles, in outward appearance, an accordion and a concertina, and is played in a somewhat similar manner. In construction, the reeds and bellows are similar to those of the piano-accordion, a similar action is used with only minor changes necessary; but instead of the old, principle of the xed chord, from which the accordion derives its name, a new principle of theoretical iifths is used in the bass and accompaniment section, by which harmonic chords are obtained by the depression of keys, in successive parallel series. Since there is a new name needed for this new instrument, and the name should emphasize the principle of the fth, called a Quint, this new instrument may be called a Quint-Organett, and the keyboards Y and Z, shall bc called the Quintaphone Keyboards, until better names are found.

In the key arrangement of Figure l, section X measures ten inches from f, at the right, to c, at the left edge, and the top of the case measures 13 x 'l1/2 inches.

i In the plan View of the new instrument, the

5 Quint-Organett, in Figure 1, section X is an (Cl. Sli-376) arrangement of keys for melody, on the topv cover of the instrument. Section Y, in Figure 1, shows an arrangement of keys in two rows, the top row being raised one-,eighth of an inch above the lower row, each keyl controlling one note only, 5 the corresponding sounding devices being successively tuned in theoretical fifths, as indicated in Figure 7; the highest in pitch being the note g in Figure 7, all others being lower, but mostly within one octave. 10

Section Z, in Figure l, shows a row of keys, with the arrangement of basses, tuned in Iifths; section Z being situated at the bottom of the instrument. n

The notation, above keyboard X, in Figure 1, l5 points to two cs, whichform an octave; the distance betweenthesetwo keys being less than 5 inches. On a piano keyboard; an octave takes up '7l/2 inches. The advantage of this keyboard, section X, is shown in Figure 3, the extended 2o C chord being easily played by the lingers of the right hand of the player. It is possible to reach even further than the extended C' chord.

It is claimed that this keyboard is a better arrangement of keys for playing melody, than any 25 other system known, on similar instruments.

As to bass and accompaniment, sections Y and Z, it is necessary to explain the principle of the theoretical fth. The fifths form a sort of a cycle, every thirteenth fth being the same 30 as the iirst fifth by its call letter, regardless of the pitch. This is parallel to the keys of the piano, every thirteenth key being known by the same call letter as the rst key. This cycle of fifths C, UG, D, HAH E, B, F sharp, D flat (or C sharp), A flat,

E flat, B flat, F, C-and then again g, d, a,-and so on.

Figure 2 shows the lower part, the bottom of the Quint-Organett, with sections Y and Z 40 (the Quintaphone keyboards), and a hand playing the C chord and bass as shown in notes set out alongside of Figure 2, in Figure 4. This key arrangement contains only nine keys in each row, which is amply suicient for the average 4D player. This number of keys enables him to play in more than six major and minor keys; and it is not necessary to have all the 36 or more keys.

As stated above, Figure 8 shows the position of keys which produce a major chord. These major chords run in parallel series, corresponding to their tonic basses. Figure 8 shows keys small a, e in the top row, and the keys b flat, c, g and a in the second row in section Y. The keys e, c and g produce a major chord;

and if the b flat is added (played with the fourth nger) to either c and e, or c and g, or to all three, a chord of the seventh is produced. The keys a, e and c produce a minor chord, and this minor chord can be played in two ways or positions, either with the a in the upper row, or with the a in the lower row, above and between basses C and G.

The keyboard or key arrangement Y and Z is dierent in operation and eiect from keyboards on other instruments,-and is qualied to produce distinct and original accomplishments in musical harmony equal, if not in some cases superior, to standard instruments. One example of this isk the sustained bass effect, as in Figure 5.

This arrangement of basses and accompaniments, the sections Y and Z, as outlined above, could be built into instrumentswith Several different systems of melody keyboards, like the piano-accordion and others, with good effects.

It is useful to have the keys, in the upper row of section X, Figure 1, which correspond to the white Akeys of. the piano.' colored white; and the lower row, corresponding to the sharps and flats, as on the piano, in section X, colored black. For the guidance of the player, Some of the keys in the Quintaphone keyboard of section Y, should also be coloredblack. It would be appropriate if everysecond key be black; or that three keys in symmetrical positions be so colored.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent'is: y

1. AA bass keyboard for a wind instrument comprising a groupof keys arranged in rows controlling` tones vin fifths alternating with fourths in each row, andan additional group of keys arranged in three rows controlling tones of the chromatic scale, said groups Vof keys being arranged closely adjacent each other and the rows of one group parallel with those of the other, whereby both groups of keys may be reached by the fingers of the left hand. 5

2. A wind instrument comprising a keyboard for the melody and a separate keyboard for the basses and accompaniments, said rst-mentioned keyboard having keys in chromatic arrangement and the individual keys being so closely spaced that the player can reach over an octave and a half with the fingers of one hand, said second-mentioned keyboard comprising a group of keys arranged in rows controlling tones in fths alternating with fourths successively in each row and an additional group of keys arranged in three rows controlling tones of the chromatic scale,` said groups of keys being arranged closely adjacent each other and the rows of one group parallelwith those of the other, whereby both groups of keys may be reached by Y the ngers of the left hand.

whereby both groups of keys may be reached b 35 the ngers of the left hand. y

JOSEPH HOFBAUER. 

